It is very common to see businesses spring one after the other and it is common that they fail simultaneously as well. The flourishing and dying of businesses have many reasons: tough competition, poor market, and so on. With the businesses that stay tough and thriving, it is common to think that the people behind these are born businessmen.

But are there really born businessmen or entrepreneurs? Born to do business? Born to have a successful business?

Like with all other things, you must assess yourself before you start doing anything. What are your skills? What are your capabilities? Best of all, what knowledge do you have and how much of it do you really know? Can you tell your own strengths and weaknesses? Do you have the willingness to work long hours to maintain your business? Do you have the willingness to actually devote time to build an enterprise? These questions will help you know what it is that you want and can actually do.

To have the passion for a product or to be familiar with the industry is not enough. As in all businesses, you have to study it, research about it, and assess your competition.

The point here is that you must know who your market will be. You don’t need to be a scientist to research your market and you won’t even need to hire a market researcher whom you’ll end up paying thousands just for that simple task. For the most part, all you have to do is talk to your friends and they’ll talk to their relatives. Chat up with your relatives and have their friends come over as well. You can also simply ask some random person on the street. Engage in small talks in the supermarkets or malls, as all the potential target consumers are all in those kinds of places. Ask them general questions that you can relate to the product you have in mind. It might be too informal to record but the spontaneity is what gives it its validity. Simple, but reliable research is what you have!

A common threat to aspiring entrepreneurs is the life of the business. Will it last long enough to at least get back its capital? The thing you must remember is this: entrepreneurs are very keen observers. They observe common situations around them and visualize a business opportunity in anything. It’s not necessary that you’re truly original; sometimes, uniqueness comes in the improvement of an already existing product or reinvention of something that you are truly passionate about, giving it a whole new life thus making it totally new. So what are you passionate about? People? You can start a training agency. If you’re a foodie, restaurants and caterings are good options. If you’re from a family of educators, it’s good to start with a pre-school. Competition should not be a threat as well. You can charge more, just a bit more, as long as you deliver the promise of good service and quality.

This can make or break you in your future job hunting exploits for you might not believe it but people do actually check up on your character references. Companies, usually the big ones do background checks and spend a lot of time and resources in getting the people they want. They even go to the extent of giving better offers for highly qualified people they know they need and have to get into their ranks. Large companies have certain positions reserved for industry leaders and experts which they go out of their way in signifying their intent of hiring. To get a job you want, you must be able to prove yourself as a valuable addition to a company’s ranks. If you do have issues with past employers, try to amend and mention them with your current employers if asked to do so. Resume’s are mostly outdated and online job hunting sites quite overrun with so many applications from all over they cannot cope. Decide on which jobs you want, which company you want to work for and do your homework.

Some interviewers like to ask the question: how do you handle criticism?

This is somehow a tricky question. It’s not only about the technical side of the job you are being asked about, but also your personality and work ethic. Your values are now involved.

Are you the type of person who listens with a humble heart, and takes criticism constructively? Or do you lashe out at your boss because you can’t take his comments and critiques? You may not like your boss, but he or she will always be the boss. You may not like your peers, but they would still be part of your team. Hiring managers, though, want to assess if you can stand for yourself, when you know you are right. You can be ethical without having to take in all the blame, or let the senior colleagues pick on you. But you can, of course, do this respectfully.

Interviewers would usually try to gauge how much you know about theier company. So you would be asked about your perception of their company, products or services, and the industry as a whole.

To prepare for this question, do a research on the company’s profile. You can read around for articles about their products or services. Do a Web search, for a start.

While you can go about pointing out the positive points, try not to sound too flattering. And in the event that the interviewer discloses their firm’s weak points, be receptive and open minded. Why not make suggestions or recommendations for improvement This could be the interviewer’s way of finding out whether you’re a team player or not. Also, this can be a way by which he can determine how creative you are!

First, be patient. Always be calm and note that you will be getting the job that you like if you keep on trying. Be disciplined, you should take job hunting seriously; give your all in the course of finding a job. Be on track on your schedule and plan everything out carefully.

Don’t let anyone grab your dream job, get it while it’s there. It makes much progress if you go to a company and talk to your “future” boss. The more people you meet, the nearer you are to the job you want.

Its all about the network. Let all the people you know that you are available for work. Ask for help and advice from your referrers.